What Does Restorative Dental Care Cover?

As essential as daily brushing, flossing, and regular checkups are to oral health, repairing damaged teeth and replacing missing teeth is just as important. Restorative dental care encompasses a range of procedures designed to maintain your oral health at each stage of your life. Read on as a Miami Beach, FL dentist discusses restorative dentistry, what procedures it covers, and how it helps keep your teeth healthy and strong. 

What Is Restorative Dentistry?

Teeth get damaged in a number of ways. Chips, breaks, cracks happen. A tooth can also get dislodged. And then there’s the widespread damage that bacteria, plaque, and tartar can do. Restorative dentistry addresses anything having to do with restoring, repairing, or replacing one or more teeth. 

What Types of Procedures Fall Under Restorative Dentistry?

Fillings

As the most common restorative procedure, fillings are designed to fill cavities in your teeth. Since cavities can be a gateway to damaging tooth decay, fillings are an effective way to protect your oral health.

Dentures

Dentures are specifically designed to replace missing teeth and can be easily removed. Dentures come in three types:

Conventional – replaces all of your teeth, top and bottom

Overdenture – a partial denture held in place by dental implants

Immediate – a temporary replacement that’s used while your teeth heal from tooth extractions

Bridges

Bridges act as partial dentures that fill in gaps left by missing teeth. They’re held in place by crowns, which sit on either side of the bridge. Gold, alloys, and porcelain are the most common materials used to make bridges. Unlike dentures, bridges are not removable. 

Crowns

Crowns are caps that fit over an existing tooth. Reasons to consider getting a crown include:

To restore the natural size of a tooth

To restore the shape of a tooth

To strengthen a tooth

To improve the appearance of a tooth

Implants

Dental implants are designed to function as natural teeth do. Like natural teeth, they’re anchored to the jawbone and don’t require special care besides daily brushing and flossing. Implants can serve many purposes, including:

Replacing a bad tooth

Replacing a missing tooth

To hold dental bridges, partial bridges, and even dentures securely in place

Benefits of Restorative Dentistry

Prevents existing dental problems from getting worse

Restores the function a tooth

Helps prevent the jawbone from deteriorating

Helps maintain the health and strength of your teeth 

If you have more questions or wish to schedule a consultation, please feel free to call our Midtown Miami, FL dental office today!